Hierarchy of Canon
This hierarchy is intended to be used when contradictions in canon arise. In general, it is acceptable to take information from any reputable source as canon (main series, word of god, etc), but there are often inconsistencies in the information given. When such issues come up, refer to this hierarchy to decide what information should be listed as canon and what should be considered inconsistent with canon. This hierarchy was inspired by and adapted from Moonkitti's proposed canon hierarchy. EX: Examplefur is said to be a she-cat with three kits in a main series book. However, in Somethingstar's Super Edition, Examplefur is said to be a tom with no mate or kits. A contributor writing for Examplefur's page would note that Examplefur is a she-cat with three kits and note her gender in Somethingstar's book as a mistake. The hierarchy is as follows: # Main Series: This is mostly self explanatory. The bulk of information is given to us here, so this should be the highest priority when it comes to determining canon. When it comes to character appearances and names, allegiance information should always be considered canon over whatever appears in the text of the book. Pelt, eye color, and name mistakes are very common within the book text, and allegiance descriptions are intended to be the official description for a cat. When there are contradictions between allegiances, the most recent allegiances should be considered canon. # Super Edition: '''These books are intended to fill gaps in-between series and/or give a detailed backstory to a major character. They give a lot of plot and character information, so they are given a high priority. These may given priority over main series books when it comes to '''character appearances. There are two instances where a super edition's appearance may be listed instead of the main series description: ## For the focal character, their super edition appearance may be listed because the book is intended to be built and designed entirely around them. Unless a character goes through major appearance alterations later in their life (such as earing significant scars after their SE takes place or their muzzle begins to gray due to age), their SE allegiance description should be referenced. This logic applies to focal characters of novella books as well. ## For other characters, if they have a more significant appearance in super editions as opposed to main series books, they may have their super edition appearance listed. EX: Brightflower is listed as black-and-white in Into the Wild, but in Yellowfang's Secret and Tallstar's Revenge, she is orange. Because she is much more present in Yellowfang's Secret, and the SEs were both published after Into the Wild, this can be taken as her official description. # Novella: These are essentially mini super editions, and due to shorter length and amount of inconsistencies, should be given less of a priority than super editions. However, the same logic about super edition appearance should apply here. # Mangas: '''These don't seem to have many conflicts with canon but are ultimatley much shorter and less detailed than other series books. Any information provided by them is good, but they have a lower priority when it comes to conflicts in canon. # '''Guide Books: These are interesting and full of minor details about cats, but again, have a great deal of contradictions to established canon. Only facts with no contradictions from above mediums should be accepted. # Warriors App: '''There's more cool facts here, but most don't have much bearing on plot. They're typically fine unless there are contradictions with given canon. # '''Word of God: This is a complicated one due to the lack of power the authors have and how frequently they contradict what they actually put in the books. Additionally, the authors each have differing levels of involvement in the series and involvement with the fanbase. Preference is given as follows: ## When a certain book is in question, the author who wrote it should have their word taken over authors'. ## Vicky, Kate, or Cherith are fine sources on any character information, so long as what they say does not contradict established canon. Ultimately, the editorial team is what has power over the series and makes the final decisions on names, appearances, ranks, and plot. Regardless of anyone's personal feelings on the authors' positions on their series, what is published takes a higher priority over what is stated by the authors out of text. Tui's word shouldn't be considered relevant given that she has only written Secrets of the Clans and no other books. # Warriors Website: '''This has some useful information, but it isn't in huge usage anymore. It doesn't seem to be updated as much as it used to be and is less important when it comes to determining canon. Additionally, it lists some false families in their family tree photos, such as Willowpelt being wrongly listed as Swiftpaw's mother. # '''Su Susann: '''At the bottom of the hierarchy, we have Su Susann. Some people are still not aware of or are confused about Su Susann's actual position in the team. For clarification - she does not really have a proper role. She is a super fan who sometimes posts to Vicky's Facebook Page and gives information on minor details. Because she has backing from Vicky, some of these are fine to accept as canon. However, only information that has '''no genuine bearing on characters or plot should be listed. Things like giving names to unnamed kits or giving a pelt color for a cat who is never stated to have one is fine. However, giving parents to cats without parents established should not be listed, as this influences the canon family tree. Unless things with real significance are established in canon, they are not to be listed as canon. To summarize, when conflicts arise, you should: * refer to main series books first. Most recent allegiance descriptions should be taken as canon. A background character who has a super edition or novella dedicated to them may have their SE/novella appearance listed as their canon appearance, as these books are designed around them. * only use Word of God facts if they are not contradicted by canon. If anything above Word of God gives a different fact, then the statement can be disregarded unless later established in-text as fact. * only use Su Susann's statements if they have no true bearing on characters/plot. Using her statements to list names for unnamed kittens is fine, but giving cats fathers or changing their appearance should be entirely disregarded. NOTE ON FAMILY TREES: Due to how complicated and messy the family tree is when applying word of god canon, family trees should only be listed if they are confirmed in a book. These can be taken from any main series/super edition/novella/guide/etc, but Word of God or the warriors website should not be applied here. These trees are often thoughtless and include direct incest, so unless they are canonically established in a book, do not list them as canon. Category:New Warriors Wiki